A significant change is being considered for the controversial NFL playoff format that will make every fan happy.
The league’s current postseason format has been criticized for many years, but it has received plenty more focus here in 2024. The reason? Three of the wild card teams (the 14-3 Minnesota Vikings, 12-5 Washington Commanders and 11-6 Los Angeles Chargers) all had to go on the road to face a division winner with a worse record.
But according to a new report from CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, the NFL playoff format will be reviewed after the season — with the league potentially reseeding teams based on win percentage:
“The NFL will take another look this offseason at potentially changing the playoff format, maybe top four teams in win percentage get a home game instead of division winners. Team owners haven’t shown much of an appetite for changing, though.”
"The NFL will take another look this offseason at potentially changing the playoff format." – @jjones9 👀 pic.twitter.com/wpbam29Y5m
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 11, 2025
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This year especially, division winners greatly benefited from the NFL playoff format. The Chargers fell 32-12 to the 10-7 Houston Texans in the first game of Wild Card Weekend. The Vikings must face the 10-7 Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, with Jayden Daniels’ Commanders visiting the 10-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday evening.
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Other Examples Of The Current NFL Playoff Format Costing Superior Teams
The 2010 Seattle Seahawks won the NFC West with a 7-9 record and got to host (and went on to defeat) the 11-5 New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card Round.
And let’s not forget the 2018 Los Angeles Chargers, who went 12-4 and had to visit the 11-5 New England Patriots in the Divisional Round. The Bolts lost the AFC West division title on a tiebreaker to the Kansas City Chiefs before getting routed by the Pats in Foxborough.
So yes, it’s long overdue for the NFL to follow the NBA’s footsteps and not automatically give division winners a top seed. Teams should be seeded based on their records.
